Jaci's Safari Lodge

Lodge Highlights

• Twice-daily Big Five game drives, plus a night drive with astronomy
• Guides who know where the wildlife is and what it is about to do
• The sunken Terrapin Hide — eye-level photography at a waterhole, 24 hours a day
• Malaria-free, so children of any age can come
• Open-plan kitchen, a serious South African wine list and a shelf of local gins
• Jaci's outdoor exercise route and gym area
• Excellent birding on foot around the lodge, with over 300 species recorded in Madikwe

Lodge Information

• Lodge type: Safari Lodge
• Location: Madikwe Game Reserve, North West Province, South Africa
• Lodge size: 10 suites — 6 Safari Suites and 4 Safari Suite Expeditions
• Recommended stay: 2–5 nights
• Malaria risk: None — Madikwe Game Reserve is malaria-free
• Getting there: ~360 km from Johannesburg, 3½–4 hours by road, or about 1 hour by light aircraft to Madikwe's Eastern Airstrip

Jaci's Safari Lodge — A 5-Star Malaria-Free Family Safari in the Madikwe Game Reserve

Jaci's Safari Lodge is a five-star, malaria-free safari lodge on the edge of the Marico River in the Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa's North West Province, roughly three and a half to four hours by road from Johannesburg or about an hour by light aircraft to the reserve's Eastern Airstrip. Madikwe covers 75,000 hectares against the Botswana border, was proclaimed in 1991, and is one of the very few Big Five reserves in South Africa where nobody has to take prophylactics.

The lodge blends into her surroundings so completely that from the outside you would never guess there was anything in that riverine forest canopy at all. Walk across the wooden suspension bridge and Jaci's reveals herself, staff already coming out to welcome you to your home in the bush.

If you are after a five-star family safari where the game viewing is genuinely first-rate and the malaria question simply does not arise, Jaci's Safari Lodge is where we send people. Madikwe holds 66 mammal species and over 300 bird species, most of them brought back through Operation Phoenix, the translocation programme that moved more than 8,000 animals from 28 species into the reserve and was completed in 1997. Combine that with everything Jaci's does well, and you have a safari that families talk about for years.

We have stayed at Jaci's Safari Lodge ourselves. Our own photographs and impressions are on the Jaci's Safari Lodge photo gallery.

Rooms and Suites

Jaci's Safari Lodge has ten suites in two categories: six Safari Suites and four Safari Suite Expeditions. All of them are reached along gravel walkways that run out from the central guest area into the riverine forest.

The six Safari Suites are large tented rooms with thatched roofs, rollable canvas walls and big windows that put the bush at the end of the bed. Beds are configured twin or double, draped in romantic mosquito nets, and carry electric blankets in winter — Madikwe nights in June and July drop close to freezing. Each suite has underfloor heating, air conditioning and a ceiling fan, and a small verandah out front where you can sit and ponder life as you currently understand it.

The four Safari Suite Expeditions share the same layout as the Safari Suites but are configured for families: custom expedition beds in the sunken lounge sleep up to two children alongside two adults, so everyone stays under one roof without booking a second suite.

Every suite is en-suite, with a separate toilet zone, a bath, his and hers basins and an outdoor shower.

Cuisine and Wine

Jaci's Safari Lodge cooks everything in a single open-plan kitchen that opens straight onto the dining area, so guests are welcome to wander over, talk to the chefs and watch dinner being made.

The day runs from breakfast to brunch to high tea to a three-course dinner, with snacks and drinks carried on both game drives. There is an outdoor gym area and Jaci's own exercise route for anyone worried about what all of that is doing to their midriff.

Meals are served in the indoor or outdoor dining areas, on the main viewing deck, or in the boma around the fire, depending entirely on the weather.

At the far end of the guest area you come across a small bar. Do not be fooled by the size of it — the wine list is long and properly South African, the beers are cold, and the shelf of local gins is worth working through slowly.

Lodge Facilities

Jaci's Safari Lodge keeps its facilities small and well judged rather than sprawling. A curio shop sits just above the kitchen in the main lodge, useful for the fluffy toys you promised to bring back.

There are two swimming pools, the main one about 75 metres from the guest area, and between them they are the right place to hide from a Madikwe summer afternoon, when temperatures regularly push past 35°C.

Safari Activities

Jaci's Safari Lodge runs two game drives a day, at first light and in the late afternoon, plus a night drive with astronomy — and this is the real reason to come to Madikwe. The reserve shows off around the two Jaci's properties, Jaci's Safari Lodge and Jaci's Tree Lodge.

On those drives you have a genuine chance of lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, rhino, cheetah and African wild dog. Madikwe is one of the best places in South Africa for wild dog, and the guides here are unusually good — they know where the animals are, what they are doing, and how they are about to react.

Then there is Jaci's Terrapin Hide, and it is the thing we would not let you miss. It is a sunken photographic hide built into a waterhole, roughly 500 metres along the path between Jaci's Safari Lodge and Jaci's Tree Lodge, with access around the clock. It puts your lens at water level, more or less eye to eye with whatever comes down to drink. Do not leave Madikwe until you have given it a full hour.

The game-drive vehicles are open, with no roof. Bring a hat and wear sun cream — the African sun at this altitude will find you, and it does not care that you only sat down for ten minutes.

Family Friendly

Jaci's Safari Lodge accepts children of any age, which is exactly what a malaria-free reserve makes possible. Younger children can sleep on stretcher beds in their parents' suite if you would rather not pay for a second room, and the four Safari Suite Expeditions are built for families outright, with custom expedition beds in the sunken lounge for two children alongside two adults.

The kids' play area beside the pools handles the inevitable mid-afternoon boredom — table tennis and a good few other distractions, in a safe enclosed spot. Babysitters can be arranged, whether the break is needed by you or by them. For children under six there is a jungle game drive, a short safari in a secured area bordering the lodge, so the little ones get the vehicle, the guide and the excitement without the three-hour sit.

And it bears repeating, because it is the deciding factor for most families: Madikwe Game Reserve is malaria-free. No tablets, no side effects, no anxious conversation with your GP about a four-year-old.

Jaci's Safari Lodge FAQ

Where is Jaci's Safari Lodge and how do you get there?

Jaci's Safari Lodge is in the Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa's North West Province, on the Botswana border. Madikwe lies about three and a half to four hours by road from Johannesburg, or roughly an hour by light aircraft to the reserve's Eastern Airstrip. Transfers between the Eastern Airstrip and the lodge are included in the rate; road transfers to the reserve gates are not.

Is Jaci's Safari Lodge malaria-free?

Jaci's Safari Lodge sits inside the Madikwe Game Reserve, which is a malaria-free area — one of only a handful of Big Five reserves in South Africa that can say so. No antimalarial prophylactics are required for a stay. This is the main reason families with young children, and travellers who cannot take antimalarials, choose Madikwe over the Kruger National Park and the Lowveld private reserves.

How many suites does Jaci's Safari Lodge have?

Jaci's Safari Lodge has ten suites, split across two categories: six Safari Suites and four Safari Suite Expeditions. All are tented rooms with thatched roofs, rollable canvas walls, en-suite bathrooms with an outdoor shower, underfloor heating and air conditioning. The Expeditions share that layout but add custom expedition beds in the sunken lounge, sleeping two adults and up to two children in one suite.

Can children stay at Jaci's Safari Lodge?

Jaci's Safari Lodge welcomes children of all ages, helped by Madikwe Game Reserve being malaria-free. Younger children can sleep on stretcher beds in their parents' suite. There is a fenced play area beside the pools with table tennis and other activities, babysitters can be arranged, and children under six have their own short jungle game drive in a secure area bordering the lodge.

What is the Terrapin Hide at Jaci's Safari Lodge?

The Terrapin Hide is a sunken photographic hide built into a waterhole roughly 500 metres along the path between Jaci's Safari Lodge and Jaci's Tree Lodge in the Madikwe Game Reserve. It places photographers at water level, eye to eye with elephant, rhino and buffalo coming down to drink. Guests have access around the clock, and it is included in the rate.

What is included in the rate at Jaci's Safari Lodge?

Rates at Jaci's Safari Lodge include twice-daily game drives, a night drive with astronomy, afternoon tea, dinner and brunch, house drinks including South African wines, local beers and house spirits, fireside dining where weather allows, 24-hour access to the Terrapin Hide, Eastern Airstrip transfers and VAT. Madikwe conservation fees, spa treatments, laundry, gratuities, premium spirits and insurance are excluded.

Is Jaci's Safari Lodge Right For You?

Jaci's Safari Lodge suits you if you are travelling with children and refuse to compromise on the wildlife to get them somewhere safe. Madikwe delivers Big Five sightings that stand comparison with anywhere in the country, and the drive from Johannesburg is short enough to do on the day you land. Couples get just as much out of it — a suite to yourselves and an hour alone in the Terrapin Hide is a strong argument for booking without the children at all.

It suits you less if you want a large lodge with a spa, a gym complex and multiple restaurants. Jaci's is ten suites, two pools, one bar and one kitchen you can walk into. That is the point of it. Two to five nights is the sweet spot: long enough for the guides to work the reserve properly, short enough to pair with Cape Town, the Winelands or a Mozambique beach. Tell us who is travelling and when, and we will build the rest of the trip around it — we have been doing exactly this since 1999.